The Buffalo Bills are going to need multiple underrated players to step up during the 2024 NFL season with the way their offseason went.
Khalil Shakir might be at the top of that list and Sports Illustrated has highlighted him in that regard.
SI named every NFL team’s “most underrated player” ahead of next season. Shakir was the selection.
After spending time in the shadow of Stefon Diggs, who was traded to the Houston Texans, Shakir makes perfect sense. Not only from a pure statistical point, but ones right on the surface. Shakir is the only receiver to have caught passes from Bills quarterback Josh Allen in any regular season action.
After spending all that time behind Diggs, Shakir is certainly going to be considered underrated… for now. That could change in due time.
In SI’s breakdown on Shakir, an exciting comparison is made too. Shakir and Los Angeles Rams’ All-Pro Cooper Kupp appear side-by-side.
The full breakdown can be found below:
Buffalo Bills
Khalil Shakir, wide receiverI would have to imagine that Shakir, a third-year pro out of Boise State, was a major factor in the Bills decision to approach the offseason the way they did. Buffalo did not replace Stefon Diggs with a true No. 1 wide receiver and traded back when the opportunity arose to draft Keon Coleman at the back end of the first round. Shakir had a really solid season in 2023, hauling in 86.7% of his targets and accounting for 611 receiving yards. These catches were also not simple. Shakir had some high-difficulty grabs, such as the touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders just before the half after Josh Allen spent his time extending the play. Shakir plays incredibly well off blocks and seems to understand the spacing of an offense well. I’ve made the Cooper Kupp comparison before, and I do think there’s sort of a budget Kupp element to Shakir’s game. Perhaps that is where the Bills are trending offensively, where they’ll manufacture more touches than depend on winning athletically in a division that has some stellar cornerback play.